Previously on Ash vs Evil Dead: Ash has a daughter he never knew about (probably one of many unidentified children), Ruby is up to no good, Kelly is back with some guy named Dalton, and Pablo’s tattoos have returned too!
One of the things that I’ve really enjoyed about the Ash vs Evil Dead series is its willingness to take the blood, guts, and gore to absurd levels for creativity (it's definitely its staple). This episode starts off with Ruby in one of the goriest scenes they’ve ever had (which is really saying something for the Evil Dead franchise even if you’ve only watched the tv series). It really works well in this ridiculously bloody scene involving a baby. Speaking of children, Ruby takes up an interesting profession this season involving children.
Pablo, meanwhile, is struggling more with the return of his demonic tattoos. While their return was certainly an unwelcome one, I can confidently say that Pablo’s troubles are just beginning. Pablo receives a message from his uncle early in this episode that leaves him with an interesting message for Kelly and Dalton. “There was a naked lady right there… but that’s normal for this place.” Expect Pablo to continually search for normal in a series where normal is a foreign language.
The introduction of Dalton, a member of the mysterious Knights of Sumeria, was one of the rockier segments of the first episode of this season for me. In this episode, Dalton serves largely as an exposition machine for Pablo’s coming issues with evil. Paired with this explanation is the inevitable straining of Kelly and Pablo’s relationship. It will be interesting to see how the series utilizes Dalton in the coming episodes.
Not to be outdone by their own previous work, Ash vs Evil Dead ups the disgust level by a factor of 10 by the end of episode with an interesting scene involving Ash’s lifework: donations of the Ash variety. In this scene, Ash requires some magazine centered stimulation that comes with a little more bang than he was probably expecting.
Rating: 9.2/10 - This season rebooted Ash vs Evil Dead in a handful of ways, but continues to provide hilariously over-the-top gore mixed with ridiculous humor in a fashion that is sure to entertain fans.
Tune in to Ash vs Evil Dead on Sunday @ 9 PM on Starz. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episode.
